Henry essex



lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

HENRY ESSEX, OF HAVERSTRAW, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS H. BATES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEWING-NEEDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent N 0. 31,000, dated December 18, 1860.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY ESSEX, of Haverstraw, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sewing-Needles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specilication, in which` Figure l is a perspective View of the improved needle. Fig. 2 shows two sides of a three sided needle. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the angular portion of a needle.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the three figures.

This invention is applicable to needles for all ordinary kinds of sewing by hand. It consists in giving to needles a triangular form in the body, or middle portion, but retaining the usual round form at and near the eye and point.

The object of the invention is to give the needles greater strength without giving them greater substance.

The drawings fully illustrate the form of a needle of this kind. The triangular portion may be generally about half the length of the needle, or somewhat more or less, and extend to within about the same distance from the head and point. The best manner of obtaining the triangular form is by swaging the wire, from which the needles are to be made, in a suitable die placed under a suitable hammer or drop, after which the grinding is performed in such a manner as to preserve the triangular form of the body, but to produce a round form at and nearli the point and head. The wire is not intended to be reduced in bulk by the swaging, but the triangular portion should contain about the same amount of metal as if it were round like the other portions of the needle. The edges of the triangular portion are not intended to be sharp as the form is not given to make them cut the material upon which they are used.

Repeated experiments with needles of this improved form, and needles of the ordinary form, made of the same wire and hardened and tempered in the same way, show conclusively that those of the improved form are much stronger than 'those of the ordinary form. My improved needles also pass through the cloth more easily, there being less friction, than with the common needle. My improved needle also presents a better surface, because flattened, for the fingers of the user to take hold upon. Therefore my improved needle facilitates and expedites the labor of sewing.

I am aware that needles have been made of a triangular form at and near the point; and therefore I do not claim making any portion of a needle triangular except when the triangular and round portions are arranged substantially as herein above specified, but

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent as an improved article of manufacture- A sewing needle having a cylindrical head and WILLIAM MILES.

point and a body of triangular or three 

